March 13, 2013 at 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

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To get a feel for the issues discussed at the March Innovation Series on Big Ideas, Big Solutions, How do we solve big problems?, please view the following video of Jason Pontin’s keynote talk.

Event Description

Remember when we dreamed of flying to the moon, kids dreamed of becoming rocket scientists, and politicians made policy that enabled innovation? Since Apollo 17’s flight in 1972, no humans have been back to the moon or gone anywhere beyond low Earth orbit. Cars still travel on roads and robots are not quite cleaning houses (at least nothing like the robots in the Jetsons). For some of us, Facebook is the biggest thing to have happened in the past decade. We used to think that our “big problems” (hunger, poverty, malaria, climate change, cancer, and the diseases of old age), would be solved by now, but now we are more and more mired in their complexity. Rather than curing cancer—or even the common cold—we ask innovative minds to synthesize their thesis ideas into a tweet of 140 characters or less. We should be doing so much more…this event celebrates men and women who still believe in thinking big and are working hard to make dreams a reality.

For March’s panel, we will follow the lead of MIT Technology Review’s “Big Problems, Big Solutions” Issue, by having four speakers talk about their big ideas. We will lead off with comments from Jason Pontin, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of MIT Technology Review and Chairman of the MIT Enterprise Forum. The discussion will be moderated by Brian Bergstein, Deputy Editor of MIT Technology Review. Panelists run the gamut from trailblazers in cancer genomics and Alzheimer’s/Dementia to online education (of Harvard/MIT style) to self assembly – “smart components” that can actually assemble themselves. Each of the panelists believe that changing the world is possible…and have committed their careers to Big Ideas and to Big Dreams. Although each story is different, these speakers will challenge us to think beyond 140 characters and to believe that anything is possible.

The Start Smart Class is a hands-on workshop for entrepreneurs.

Our Start Smart class focuses on the steps required to prep a solid understanding of your target market so you can launch and grow your science/technology company successfully.

CEO’s, successful entrepreneurs and investors who’ve done it all before are invited guest speakers and an integral component of the learning experience!

Each student receives a copy of Guy Kawasaki’s ‘The Art of the Start’ and Bill Aulet’s ‘Disciplined Entrepreneurship.’ These books are key to the curriculum and are included as part of the registration fee.

The Mentor Smart Program Assists Science and Technology Entrepreneurs in Moving Their Ideas Forward by Assigning Them Mentors to Help with Both Long and Short Term Goals.

Entrepreneurs may apply to the program at any stage of development. Individuals are accepted into the program based on criteria established for each cohort by the Mentor Smart Committee.

Mentors must also apply to be a part of the program and are expected to take an interest in the success of the entrepreneur(s) they are matched with; and to get to know the Entrepreneur’s needs, including personal situations.

Entrepreneurs and Mentors are expected to meet with regular frequency – approximately 2-3 hours per month and for quarterly check-ins (dates TBD) for the 12-month duration of the program.

At the Launch Smart Clinic, startups present a 20-minute pitch for feedback from our panel of experts + the audience.

Launch Smart Clinic [view upcoming] programs provide startups a place to get constructive feedback on their 20-minute [download template] pitch from a board-of-directors-level panel of experts and thoughtful audience members. The focus on early stage ventures encourages a sympathetic and supportive atmosphere. Audience and panel feedback often helps presenters understand their problems and offers useful tips and solutions.

Even if you’re not quite ready to present at a Launch Smart Clinic, we encourage entrepreneurs to attend to see what our panel of experts (investors and others) are looking for in a pitch, what kind of questions they ask and their suggestions for refining the business plan.

Our Definition of ‘Science or Technology’ Entrepreneur

We define a science or technology entrepreneur as an individual or a member of the leadership team who organizes and manages a business undertaking, using innovative science or technology in the development and sale of the product or process.

A science or technology entrepreneur as defined by the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge can be at any of these stages of development:

Concept (no product yet)

Pre-Startup (have alpha or beta prototype, no customers)

Startup (have a product and some revenue or early adopters)

Emerging Growth (revenues up to $2M)

This definition does not include individuals who are hired on a “fee for service” basis.